Tiger Woods trailed co-leaders Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter after two rounds of the Masters, but flashed a smile that oozed confidence.
It was the kind of smile that harkens back to the days of Jack Nicklaus and what they used to say about him: He knows he’s going to beat you — and he knows that you know he’s going to beat you.
Woods headed to Saturday’s third round of the Masters in the penultimate group, which means his return to the game from a five-month layoff is going better than anyone could have expected.
He came to this historic green patch of east Georgia with only one thing on his mind: a fifth green jacket. If this continues for another 36 holes, he might very well be wearing one.
Woods followed a 4 under 68 in the opening round with a rock-solid 70 in tougher conditions on Friday, leaving him a mere two strokes behind Englishmen Poulter and Westwood.
Asked if he liked his position, Woods smiled so broadly that he almost looked a bit bashful about showing so much assuredness, “I do.”
In three of his four Masters wins, this is where he seized control. Lurking back just a bit at the midway point, he surged to the lead in the third round — wiping out a six-stroke deficit to Chris DiMarco in 2005, coming back from four shots down to Vijay Singh in ‘02, passing DiMarco in ‘01 after trailing by two strokes at the 36-hole mark.
He’s two shots behind this time with a 6 under 138. Also worth noting: Neither of the guys ahead of him has a major championship on his resume.
“I felt I could put myself in contention,” Woods said. “I didn’t have the luxury of playing tournaments coming in here, so I had to be more focused on my practice sessions coming into it and then take more out of them than most people would.”
No one likes to see Woods lurking on the leaderboard, but no one is prepared to give him the green jacket just yet, least of all Poulter.
He’s always been known for his bold fashion and over-the-top bravado, which was never more evident than when he insisted a few years it would just be him and Woods at the top of the golfing world if Poulter could only play to his potential.
Everyone chuckled, especially since Poulter had not even won a tournament on U.S. soil until his victory this year at the Match Play Championship.
But he’s been a runner-up at the British Open, and believes it just might be time to break through in a major. He’s certainly off to a good start, opening with back-to-back 68s.
“I would say it’s one of the best rounds of golf I’ve played in a while,” Poulter said on Friday after mastering more difficult conditions at Augusta on day two.
“I am more aggressive on the golf course and you have to be aggressive to your targets around this place. You can’t let this course intimidate you too much, because you’ll be backing away from shots you should be taking on.”
Westwood endured a wild ride on his way to a 69. He had everything from an eagle to a double-bogey on his card, but it all added up to a share of the lead.
He’d like to be in that position on Sunday, after coming within one putt of getting into a playoff in the 2008 U.S. Open and last year’s British Open.
“It’s the only thing really missing in my career,” Westwood said. “It would mean a lot to win a major championship. I’ve come close over the last couple of years ... and I know I’ve got the game and I know I’ve got the temperament. It’s just going that one step further and finishing it off.”
Westwood didn’t seem concerned that Woods was lurking, having played with him in the final round of the 2008 U.S. Open, the one where Woods overcame a knee injury to beat Rocco Mediate in a playoff.
“I learned a few things, stuff I’m not going to share, because if you get into these situations and learn stuff, what’s the point of passing it on? That’s what going through these experiences is all about.”
On Saturday, he’ll be playing with his countryman and good friend, Poulter.
“I suppose it helps a little bit because we get on pretty well, but I don’t think it has much effect,” Westwood said. “We won’t be cracking jokes on each other’s back swings.”
